Guest Speakers and Masterclass Tutors
Meet our Guest Authors
We attract an exciting range of interesting guest authors and industry experts to talk to you.
2020
Jane Shemilt
Author Talk: Character
CL Taylor
Novel Nights Book Club
Lucy Atkins
Novel Nights Book Club
Trevor Wood
Novel Nights Book Club June
Nikki Smith
Novel Nights Book Club
Mimi Thebo
Author Talk: Writing in lockdown
Abbie Greaves
Book Club
Gilly Macmillan
Book Club
Tracy Darnton
Book Club
Amanda Craig
Book Club
UK and USA Writers' Showcase
Meet our Guest Authors, Agents, Bloggers & Masterclass Tutors.
2019
Chris Wakling
Dialogue and Scene Building
Juliet Pickering
What does an author need to do?
Emma Smith Barton & Kesia Lupo
Writing YA & Publishing
Jane Corry
How to write twists & take the reader by surprise
Caroline Ambrose
Success in novel competitions
Vanessa Gebbie
Masterclass: Flash Fiction
Susan Elkerkin
Masterclass: Show Not Tell and Narrative Arc
Cynan Jones
World Building with Cynan Jones
Ben Smith
Finding your story through landscape
Tim Clare
The Three Pillars of Writing Bliss
Susanna Wadeson
How to make your book stand out from the crowd
Vanessa Gebbie
Masterclass: Flash Fiction
2018
Tom Vowler
Success with Short Stories
Dr Mimi Thebo
Memoir and fiction
Gerard Woodward
Short stories and novels
Jon Woolcott, Little Toller Press
The business of books
Gavin James Bower
Scriptwriting
Sanjida Kay
On how to plot
Tessa Hadley
In conversation with Tessa Hadley
Tyler Keevil
Music, Inspiration, and the muse
Emily Koch
How to research for fiction
Kylie Fitzpatrick
The First Novel
Alice Jolly
Recovering Lost Voices
Lucy English
Workshop: The Hero’s Journey
Nikesh Shukla
Writing & Persistence
Xan Brooks
Telling Other People’s Stories
Lucy English
Poetry and the novel
2017
Susan Elderkin
Reading fiction
Dionne McCulloch
Ask The Editor, Cornerstones
Gilly Macmillan
Writing a page-turner
Dan Jeffries
DIY making a book
KM Elkes
Writing short fiction
Stephen May
Writing about family relationships
Martine McDonagh
Writing about family relationships
Richard Jones
The Independent publishing world
Tom Henry
Ghostwriting
Rosemary Dun
Writing Romantic Comedy
Celia Brayfield
on Writing Historical Fiction
2016
Dr Mimi Thebo
Finding Your Voice
Tobias Jones
Inventing your own Language
Sanjida Kay
on psychological thrillers
Lucy Robinson
The road to publication
Debbie Young
on marketing
Dan Jeffries
on marketing
A.A. Abbott
On marketing
Babs Horton
Image Q and A with Carrie Kania, literary agent, Conville & Walsh READ MORE
Carrie Kania
Q and A with Carrie Kania, literary agent, Conville & Walsh
2015
C.L. Taylor
on genre and theme
Juliet Pickering
Literary agent, Blake Friedman
Mike Manson
on co-founding Bristol Short Story Prize
Nikesh Shukla
on comedy & social media
Kate Johnson
Literary Agent WolfLit
Lu Hersey
on YA Fiction
Stefan Mohamed
on YA Fiction
Eugene Lambert
on YA Fiction
Tania Hershman
on Short Stories
Pat Ferguson
on Bristol Festival of Literature
Gareth L Powell
on Noir / Sci-fi
2014
Sanjida Kay
Lucy English
Alan Snow
Helen Hart
Nathan Filer
Lily Forbes
Anna Freeman
Sarah Hilary
Jane Shemilt